awards - California Association for Bilingual Education

California Association for Bilingual Education
AWARDS
CABE Board Awards
CABE Board of Directors Salutes
CABE 2013 Visual and Performing Arts Award
BRYONN BAIN
CABE is honored to recognize Bryonn Bain with the CABE 2013 Visual and Performing Arts Award
BRYONN BAIN is Brooklyn’s own prison activist, spoken word poet, hip hop artist, actor, author and educator.
Described by Cornel West as an artist who “…speaks his truth with a power we desperately need to hear,” Bain’s
discussions and debates have aired weekly in 28 million homes worldwide on BET’s award-winning talk show My
Two Cents. His interviews have included guests including Jim Jones, LL Cool J, Snoop Dogg, Ciara, Damon Dash,
Malik Yoba, Omali Yeshitela and Malik Zulu Shabazz. Wrongfully imprisoned during his second year at Harvard
Law, Bryonn sued the NYPD, was interviewed by Mike Wallace on 60 Minutes, and wrote the Village Voice cover
story - “Walking While Black” - which drew the largest response in the history of the nation’s most widely-read
progressive newspaper. Bain’s grassroots organization, Blackout Arts Collective, which developed the annual
Lyrics on Lockdown Tour, has reached prisons in 25 states, and spawned a series of university courses using the
arts to teach critical literacy in correctional facilities. His new book, The Ugly Side of Beautiful: Rethinking Race and
Prisons in America, will be published in 2012 by Third World Press. Bryonn has lectured and performed at over 100
colleges and correctional facilities in the U.S., Africa, Asia, Latin America and Europe. Bain founded the Lyrical Minded project -- which brings hip hop, theater and spoken word to high schools in New York, San Francisco
and Boston. A Nuyorican Grand Slam Poetry Champion, Bryonn ranked #1 in the nation and placed second in
the world during the 2000 International Poetry Slam. Having taught courses on hip hop, spoken word and the
prison crisis, at Brooklyn College, New York University, The New School, Columbia University and on the Brooklyn
Campus of Long Island University, Bain currently teaches as a Visiting Lecturer for Harvard University’s Dramatic
Arts Division.
Website: http://www.lyricsfromlockdown.com
192
CABE Board Awards
CABE Board of Directors Salutes
CABE 2013 Vision Award
TOVE SKUTTNAB-KANGAS
CABE is honored to recognize Dr. Tove Skutnabb-Kangas with the CABE 2013 Vision Award
Dr. Tove Skutnabb-Kangas, Emerita, is a guest researcher at the Department of Languages and Culture, University
of Roskilde, Denmark and visiting professor at Åbo Akademi University, Department of Education, Vasa, Finland.
Dr.Skutnabb-Kangas, had a bilingual upbringing in Finnish and Swedish in officially bilingual Finland. She has
been actively involved with minorities’ struggle for language rights for over five decades. Her main research
interests are in linguistic human rights, linguistic genocide, linguicism (linguistically argued racism), bilingualism
and multilingual education, linguistic imperialism and the subtractive spread of English, support for endangered
languages, and the relationship between linguistic and cultural diversity and biodiversity.
Among her path-breaking books in English are Linguistic Genocide in Education - or Worldwide Diversity and
Human Rights? (2000, republished in India 2008); Sharing a World of Difference. The Earth’s Linguistic, Cultural,
and Biological Diversity (with Luisa Maffi and David Harmon, 2003), Imagining Multilingual Schools: Language in
Education and Glocalization, ed. with Ofelia García and María Torres-Guzmán (2006), and, Multilingual Education
for Social Justice: Globalising the Local (2009; ed. with Ajit Mohanty, Minati Panda and Robert Phillipson). Dr.
Skutnabb-Kangas has extensive teaching experience, mostly at universities but also elementary and special
education and vocational education, and Steiner school, both bilingual. She is presently involved in projects
in Nepal and India where Indigenous children are being taught through the medium of their mother tongues.
She has worked for decades with Indigenous education (e.g. the Saami in all Nordic countries) and advised and
trained educational authorities and politicians in many countries about multilingual education. She has worked
extensively with and written for OSCE (High Commissioner on National Minorities), UNESCO, UN, and the UN
Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues. She lives on a small ecological/organic farm in Denmark with husband
Robert Phillipson.
Website: www.tove-skutnabb-kangas.org
193
CABE Board Awards
CABE Board of Directors Salutes
CABE 2013 Voices for Change Award
CALIFORNIANS TOGETHER
Executive Director, Shelly Spiegel-Coleman
President, Michael Matsuda
Legislative Advocate, Martha Zaragoza-Diaz
CABE is honored to recognize Californians Together with the CABE 2013 Voices for Change Award
Californians Together is a statewide coalition of parents, teachers, education advocates and civil rights groups
committed to securing equal access to quality education for all children. Founded in 1998 after the passage of
Proposition 227, Californians Together joined with other organizations to foster full participation in a democratic
society through quality education for children and parents from underserved communities. Californians Together
believes that all children are equal and have a right to a quality education to fully participate economically,
intellectually, politically and socially in a democratic society. Californians Together works hand-in-hand with
its coalition members, educators and supporters of English Learners in a variety of ways, such as: Developing
education policy and advising legislators and policy makers; Promoting the educational development of teachers
and administrators through professional development workshops and institutes; Supporting and encouraging
parent involvement; Seeking and developing collaborations and partnerships with private and public entities that
are supportive of English Learners; Working with various school districts and governmental bodies to develop
strategies to best address the needs of all English Learners. Thanks to the advocacy and leadership of Californians
Together, two important bills impacting English Learners were passed in 2012—AB2193 (Lara) Long Term English
Learners and SB 1719 (Fuentes) ELD Supplemental Materials Aligned to the Common Core.
Website: http://www.californianstogether.org
194
CABE Board Awards
CABE Board of Directors Salutes
CABE 2013 Legislative Award
HONORABLE RICARDO LARA
CABE is honored to recognize The Honorable Ricardo Lara with the CABE 2013 Legislative Award
Senator Ricardo Lara was elected with overwhelming support in November 2012 to represent the Southeast Los
Angeles County cities of the 33rdSenate District. The son of a factory worker and a seamstress and raised in a
blue-collar immigrant family in East Los Angeles, Senator Lara knows first-hand the challenges facing the cities
and communities of Southeast Los Angeles County. As California’s first openly gay senator of color in state history,
he was recently re-elected as Latino Caucus Chair. A champion for educational equity, civil rights and immigrant
rights, Senator Lara has authored legislation chaptered into law by Governor Jerry Brown which improved the
quality of life for California’s working families by improving quality and access to education, protecting a woman’s
right to take pregnancy leave, ensuring greater government transparency and oversight, protecting taxpayer
dollars and ensuring certain consumer protections. Lara championed and sponsored AB 2193 which was passed
and signed by the Governor in 2012. The purpose of AB 2193 is to create a consistent definition and common
terminology of Long Term English Learners (LTEL). This common definition will support standard identification
across California school districts, report the numbers of these students to the state, trigger monitoring and
planning for these students and inform parents about their child’s LTEL identification, and support appropriate
and timely intervention to meet the needs of LTELs. Assembly Member Lara has dedicated his entire career to
public service. From serving as Associated Student Inc. (ASI) Vice President while studying at San Diego State,
to working with the late Assembly Member Marco Antonio Firebaugh on the landmark AB540 legislation that
opened the doors for undocumented students to pursue a higher education, his dedication to serving the most
vulnerable in the state has not wavered.
Website: http://sd33.senate.ca.gov
195
CABE Board Awards
CABE Board of Directors Salutes
CABE 2013 Promoting Bilingualism & Multiculturalism Award
FEDERACIÓN DE CLUBES JALISCIENSES
DEL SUR DE CALIFORNIA
Pina Hernández, President
CABE is honored to recognize The Federación de Clubes Jaliscienses of Southern California with the CABE
2013 Promoting Bilingualism and Multiculturalism Award
The Federación de Clubes Jaliscienses of Southern California was formed over 13 years ago. It is the organization
that serves as a liaison between municipal, state and federal government of Mexico and the over 100 cultural
clubs representing the 1.3 million Mexicans that reside in Southern California with origins in the beautiful state of
Jalisco. Through the support of their programs, The Federación de Clubes Jaliscienses promotes a strong sense
of cultural and traditional identity that provides the community with the opportunity to reflect and strengthen
their own individual leadership that can be translated into positive results in support of communities in Jalisco.
The Federación de Clubes Jaliscienses has enjoyed strong growth in Southern California and has provided support
towards the political, legislative, professional, entrepreneurial and cultural future of Jalisco. The Federation focuses
on working with and preparing young people as future leaders to prepare them to be able to deal with challenges
and to support students who do not have the necessary resources and in many cases, the documents, that are
required by law, to continue with their education. The Federación de Clubes Jaliscienses of Southern California
sponsors cultural and community events such as Deferred Action workshops, Mexican Independence Day Parade
and Festivities, Gala Events, Srta Jalisco competition, EXPO Jalisco and much more.
Website: http://fedjalisco.org
196
CABE Board Awards
CABE Board of Directors Salutes
Erika Lopez-Marroquin
CSU, Stanislaus - Region 1
Alma Flor Ada – Isabel Campoy Teachership Award
Erika Lopez-Marroquin is currently the Secretary of the CABE program from CSU Stanislaus. She recently graduated
with her Bachelor’s degree in liberal Studies, and is currently a participant in the Multiple Subject Credential
Program at CSU Stanislaus working towards a career as a bilingual teacher (BCLAD). Erika shared the following in
her application:
“I have a great commitment to becoming a bilingual teacher. I will have dedication and put much effort to make
sure my future students succeed academically. In this region, the number of Hispanic people has been increasing
and there is a shortage of teachers who are certified to teach students both languages. Spanish is my first
language, so I know how challenging it is to acquire the English language. I am the first member in my family to
attend college and pursue a career. In elementary school, I had great teachers that made a positive impact in my
life and I want to do the same thing to my future students. My goal as a bilingual teacher is to make sure students
become fluent in both Spanish and English. Students need to understand that is important to be advanced in
both languages to succeed in life.”
CABE congratulates Erika for her commitment to bilingualism and wishes her much success in her career as a
bilingual teacher!
197
CABE Scholarships
CABE Board of Directors Salutes
Natalie Bertinelli
CSU, Long Beach – Region 3
Carlos Penichet Teachership Award
Natalie returned to school with the sole purpose of becoming a bilingual teacher. She stated the following in her
application:
“I believe that today’s education system is not preparing English learners with the correct tools and appropriate
levels of English proficiency to succeed in the school system. I am working on my credential with the goal of
teaching elementary school children because I believe the root of the problem for many students starts in
elementary school. Much of the criticism that comes down unfavorably for bilingual education is rooted in the
lack of qualified bilingual teachers we have in the school system. I want to do my part to help as many children
as possible by becoming a qualified bilingual teacher to ensure all students are getting the necessary tools at a
young age to excel in schools. As a bilingual teacher my goal is to become an advocate for bilingual programs. I
want to promote bilingual education as an equitable, quality form of education for all students. I believe bilingual
education is a great tool in helping the many English learners that struggle with learning a new language.”
CABE extends its congratulations to Natalie for her commitment to bilingual education and wishes her much
success in her career as a bilingual teacher!
198
CABE Scholarships
CABE Board of Directors Salutes
Yessenia Perez
CSU, Channel Islands – Region 5
Charles “Chuck” Acosta Teachership Award
Yessenia is a student at CSU Channel Islands and studying for her bilingual teacher credential. She shared these
personal words in her application:
“Stares and laughter – I would get when I didn’t know how to respond in English and I knew the answer in Spanish,
which not only made me feel ashamed of my culture, but it also made me feel unintelligent. My experiences
as a child make my desire to be a bilingual teacher even stronger now that I’m taking courses in the teacher
credential program. As a future bilingual teacher I strongly believe that a teacher’s role is more than just teaching
the standards of California. Through bilingual education, I will provide the students with skills that will help them
build a better future for themselves and their community. I will set good and positive examples for the students
and encourage them to solve problems in school and in their community, to better prepare them for their adult
lives. As their teacher, I will provide a safe and supportive environment to build positive relationships with others
and will strive in every way to encourage an attitude of acceptance and respect for other cultures and linguistic
traits. A CABE Teachership award will help me reach my goal of becoming the teacher who loves teaching in any
language.”
CABE is pleased to honor Yessenia for her commitment to bilingual education and knows she will make a
difference in her career as a bilingual teacher!
199
CABE Board Awards
CABE Board of Directors Salutes
Seal of Excellence School
Niemes Elementary School
Niemes Elementary in the ABC Unified School District is a Magnet School of Environmental Science and
Technology as well as dual immersion. It is here that environmental science and technology come to life with the
curriculum integrated into all subject areas. Student learning is apparent in the classroom, in the environmental
science laboratory and in the outdoor garden habitat established as the Niemes Nature Center. Classrooms are
equipped with technology centers and a computer laboratory is readily available to enhance student learning. In
partnership with Verizon, IPads were provided and are utilized by all fifth grade students. The beauty of it all is that
Dual Language students experience it all in two languages, English and Spanish. The Dual Language Program was
established 21 years ago and has successfully developed bi-literate students, enabling them with an extra talent
as well as an awareness and appreciation of other cultures. Bilingual events and parent workshops are organized
to promote the school and its programs. Neimes’ show case includes the Seal of Biliteracy awarded to sixth grade
students, the Nature Center, Green Kids Environmental Club, and various afterschool programs.
Teachers and staff at Niemes are continually provided with on-going staff development enabling them to enhance
learning throughout the school. In addition, teachers not only attend CABE conferences but offer their services by
volunteering at the venue or presenting on various topics.
Neimes’ continued success in serving students, parents and community is evidence of its commitment to
educating our future leaders.
200
CABE Board Awards
CABE Board of Directors Salutes
CABE 2013 Administrator of the Year
Trudy Arriaga
Ventura Unified School District
Currently the Superintendent of Ventura Unified School District, Dr. Arriaga has spent 34
years advocating for educational equity for the students of her district. She has served in
numerous roles including para-educator, teacher, principal and district administrator where
she is proud to have represented a district that has maintained a strong and thriving bilingual education option
since 1974. Born and raised in the Ventura community, she serves on numerous boards and organizations. During
the past twelve years, while serving as superintendent, Dr. Arriaga has had the opportunity to establish a district
with guiding principles that reflect the collective belief of honoring the unique and diverse cultural, linguistic
and racial backgrounds of all students to ensure that every child reaches her/his full potential. Dr. Arriaga has
been an advocate and member of CABE throughout her entire career and currently serves as the Superintendent
liaison of the local Ventura County CABE Chapter. In Dr. Arriaga’s words, “I am proud to report that the students
in the Ventura Unified School District are ready to lead in the 21st century as they are academically prepared,
multilingual, multiculturally proficient, and actively involved in our community. On behalf of our 17,000 current
students, I give gratitude to CABE for consistently being their “voices for change” and leading the way!”
Distinguished Administrator of the Year 2013
Adrienne Machado
Stockton Unified School District
Adrienne Machado currently serves as Principal of Pittman Elementary School in the
Stockton Unified School District. Prior to her eleven years as Principal of Pittman, Ms.
Machado worked as a bilingual teacher, bilingual resource specialist, and Vice Principal.
She is proud of her life’s work in bilingual education, maintaining that diversity is strength
and believing that developing character and integrity are the building blocks to a more fully enriched academic
experience for all her students, families, teachers and their communities. Involved in many community
organizations, Ms. Machado is most proud of the parent involvement strand at Pittman. At Pittman, community
service is strategically organized around familial needs. Ms. Machado has been an active member of CABE since
beginning teaching in the early 1980’s. As a result of that professional development received at CABE, she is
proud to be developing a dual immersion strand at Pittman. She believes that all students must be given the
opportunity to maintain their home language and culture at the same time as they acquire another language.
201
CABE Board Awards
CABE Board of Directors Salutes
CABE 2013 Teacher of the Year
Renae Bryant
Corona Norco Unified School District
Renae Bryant currently works as a science teacher at Raney Intermediate, which is in the
Corona Norco Unified School District in Corona, CA. Ms. Bryant herself took part in a
bilingual program in her intermediate school years. She later attended UC Riverside, where
she studied Spanish, with a minor in Ethnic Studies. In the years since then, she has become a National Board
Certified Teacher. Ms. Bryant believes in her students. She has high expectations for all and has made a point
of parental involvement through home visits. She works ceaselessly for her community and students. She has
co-founded and organized the annual LadyFest IE event, fundraised for Relay for Life, the Inland Aids Project, the
Red Cross, Rock Camp for Girls, the Center for Community Action and Environmental Justice, on which she served
as a board member for 10 years, and various animal welfare groups. Ms. Bryant has also volunteered as a Master
Teacher to Student Teachers, as a member of her District’s English Learner Task Force, with the CABE Project to
Inspire trainings, with countless parent and student events in her district, as well as volunteering with the Blood
Orange Info. Shop, the Really Really Free Market, and, as a Candidate Support Provider, with the CTA National
Board Candidates Cohort. Even with having all of those activities in her schedule, Ms. Bryant managed to find
time to co-author a paper based on the practical side of science inquiry in the classroom, to write grants that won
thousands of dollars for her schools, to win the CNUSD Bilingual Educators Succeeding Together Teacher of the
Year Award for her county this past year, and to write a proposal for CABE 2013, which has been accepted, entitled
“A Tale of Two Schools: Using the Research to Increase Achievement for English Learners.” She is tireless in her
efforts for bilingual education, switching her own schedule so her Long Term English Learner students in AVID
Excel would not lose their electives, and pouring herself into the needs of her students and her community.
Distinguished Teacher of the Year for CABE 2013
María Constantino
Long Beach Unified School District
María Constantino currently teaches math and Spanish AP at Long Beach Poly High School,
which is in the Long Beach Unified School District in Long Beach, CA. Despite her variety
of preps and levels of rigor, Ms. Constantino has made remarkable gains in the classroom:
her 2011-2012 AP Spanish Language pass rate was an amazing 100% and she supported her high school’s EL
student API growth of 57 points in 2012. In addition to her incredible work inside the classroom, Ms. Constantino
also provides countless services to her students and community outside the classroom. She has been an active
member of the Long Beach Chapter of CABE, serving as Treasurer for five years. She authored a chapter in a
book published by CABE entitled, “Pedagogies of Questioning: Bilingual Teachers and Transformative Inquiry.” In
addition, she has guest-lectured in bilingual teacher preparation programs and aided in the creation of an online
course at Loyola Marymount University focused on teaching math and science in Spanish. In her years teaching at
Long Beach Poly High School, Ms. Constantino has sponsored a number of service clubs, including La Onda, which
stressed the importance of community service. She has also worked towards wonderful results in after-school
tutoring for the mathematics portion of the CAHSEE. Ms. Constantino is a model to her students and peers, fully
dedicated to the needs of her students and enthusiastically promoting multilingual and multicultural learning.
202
CABE Board Awards
CABE Board of Directors Salutes
CABE 2013 Para-Educator of the Year
Juanita Marquez
Chula Vista Elementary School District
Juanita Marquez is employed at Chula Vista Learning Community Charter School where
bilingualism and multiculturalism is promoted, valued and expected. She is assigned as a
professional support assistant who wears a variety of hats on the job. She believes in being
an exemplar for her students, guiding them and proposing optimal possibilities for them as they are supported
academically, culturally and spiritually. She emphasizes in her students that being bilingual and bicultural is
a necessity for the 21st century. Juanita instills a belief in the students that they are the artists, the scientists,
the historians and authors. They are the leaders, the politicians and the doctors. She accomplishes this in part
by organizing bilingual poetry contests, essay contests and writing contests resulting in published student
anthologies. She also collaborates in putting on storytelling events as well as theatre productions in both Spanish
and English. She also has a passion for service to her community. Juanita coordinates the intergenerational club
Eco-Artesanía y Poesía en Compañía. The objective of the club is to integrate the wisdom and knowledge of
senior citizens with the eagerness for learning of the students. Juanita carries her service across the border by
being a part of A Su Futuro; a binational community effort that provides financial and counseling support to high
school and university students in Tijuana. As a CABE member for the past 15 years, Juanita has been involved in
many CABE activities as a parent, para-professional and community member. She consistently volunteers her
services at CABE Region IV activities. She promotes the belief of CABE while serving as the president of ELAC at
Hilltop High School in the Sweetwater School District.
Distinguished Para-Educator of the Year for CABE 2013
Esther Hoa Nguyen
ABC Unified School District
Esther Nguyen came to the United States in 1975 as a Vietnamese refugee and started
working for the ABC Unified School District in 1980. 32 years later she continues her
commitment to instill pride and perseverance in her students. She works with students in
kindergarten through 12th grade within four to ten schools a day. She is often seen after work hours attending
students’ performances or award ceremonies. She has had the opportunity to see many former students become
successful professionals. These students continue Esther’s teachings in that they now assist their Vietnamesespeaking parents and relatives. She continues to be part of their lives as they return to visit her to share their
success and gratitude. Esther’s commitment in assisting Vietnamese families make the transition into American
culture and navigate through the educational system continues into her community. After hours she helps
families by providing assistance in completing documents that are not understood, providing transportation
to appointments and then assisting with translation at these appointments. She was there when an expectant
mother was ready to deliver her child and Esther assisted in the delivery. In another incident, she spent 19
hours at a hospital with a family, finishing at 4 a.m. and showing up to work the next day. Esther continues her
community service by being actively involved in her church. She and her husband are responsible for the senior
ministry. They plan meetings, make weekly visits to members and take them on outings which many would be
unable to do on their own.
203
CABE Board Awards
CABE Board of Directors Salutes
Parent of the Year for CABE 2013
Israel Fuentes, Jr.
Colton Joint Unified School District
Israel Fuentes Jr. has been a dependable, caring volunteer who is always willing to go the
extra mile for Colton Joint Unified School District. He is the gold ha has shined for our
school. He has given so much to teachers, students and community. Whether its leading, and
singing Spanish songs in a Double Immersion Kindergarten class or leading cars throughout our school driveway,
he has never faltered. Mr. Fuentes has six years in parent involvement: serves in classrooms and assists teachers,
President of the PTA for two years and currently is vice president of the PTA. He has been an ELAC vice president,
DELAC president, translator for the head start preschool in Upland, CA, volunteers with the San Bernardino County
Sheriff Citizens Patrol and serves on the Municipal Advisory Committee for the city of Bloomington. He is also an
outstanding contributor to Grimes Elementary Bilingual Education Program.
Distinguished Parent of the Year for CABE 2013
Marisela Lopez
Moreno Valley Unified School District
Marisela Lopez has demonstrated extraordinary service in the area of parent and family
engagement in many areas. She illustrates a tremendous passion, conveying knowledge
and skills to succeed, equality to move forward, strength to resist rejection, and the power
to make a difference. At Edgemont Elementary, she has been an ELAC Officer for many years
and DELAC President for two years. Additionally, she is a Parent Trainer of Trainer and Presenter at the District,
Regional and State level. As a DELAC President, she is instrumental in providing parents with a monthly Newsletter
that reports activities, district updates, and special unique messages that support and encourage positive parent
engagement. Marisela provides different levels of training to our MVUSD parents ranging from Riverside County’s
Parent Engagement Leadership Initiative where she has trained at two district-wide trainings and district-wide
trainings for ELAC Officers. She has also presented at our District Parent Summit, RCOE and 23rd PTA Parent
Summit and the Regional and State CABE Conferences.
204
Student Writing
k – 2nd Contest Winner
Kyle Lough, 2nd Grade
Patrick Henry Elementary, Long Beach Unified School District
My Bilingual Life
I am Kyle Lough and I live in California. My mother was born in Argentina and my dad was born in the United
States. Since I was a baby, my dad spoke to me in English and my mom spoke to me in Spanish. Thanks to that, I
am fluent in both languages.
When people ask me “Which one is your favorite country?” I answer them “There are good and bad things in both
countries. I belong to both of them and I don’t have to choose”.
The good new is that in Argentina there are candy stores everywhere and they are very different from the ones in
the United States. It is a paradise! The bad new is that my mom only lets me eat very few sweets.
My favorite thing about being bilingual is that I can talk and play with my cousin Facundo in Buenos Aires. The
thing I like the least about being bilingual is that when I play soccer my mother yells in Spanish with a lot of
emotion.
Being bilingual has given me the ability to learn other languages much faster.
Mi Vida Bilingüe
Soy Kyle Lough y vivo en California. Mi mamá nació en Argentina y mi papá nació en los Estados Unidos. Desde
que era bebé, mi papá me hablaba en inglés y mi mamá me hablaba en español. Gracias a eso puedo hablar los
dos idiomas fluídos. Cuando la gente me pregunta “¿Cuál país me gusta más?” Yo les contesto-“Hay cosas buenas y
malas en los dos países. Yo pertenezco a los dos y no tengo que elegir.”
La buena noticia es que en Argentina hay tiendas de dulces por todos lados y son muy diferentes de los que hay
en los Estados Unidos. ¡Es un paraíso! La mala noticia es que mi mamá solo me deja comer muy pocos dulces.
Mi cosa favorite de ser blingüe es hablar y jugar con mi primo Facundo en Buenos Aires. Lo que menos me gusta
de ser bilingüe es que cuando juego al fútbol mi mamá me alienta en español y con mucha emoción.
El ser bilngüe me ha dado la facilidad de aprender otros idiomas mucho más rápido.
205
Student Writing
3rd – 5th Contest Winner
Alexis Burrell, 3-5th Grade
135th School, Los Angeles Unified School District
Being Bilingual
Being bilingual is cool. In my community, people speak Spanish and English. Being bilingual creates a change in
my community because I am able to help the people in my community. I can tutor people in different languages,
and translate for them so they can understand each other and communicate. It helps me for my future.
I can tutor people who speak English, so they can learn and understand Spanish a little more and tutor people
who speak Spanish to speak and understand English a little more, too. I help one of my neighbor’s daughters
with her homework. She speaks Spanish, so she has trouble understanding her homework. Helping her, she can
understand her work and she can prepare for her future.
I’ve helped translate in my school for a teacher and the nurse. My mom was unable to show up to a parent
conference so my grandmother came instead. I translated for her so she would know what my teacher had to say.
I also translated for the nurse when there was a little girl with a bloody nose in the nurse’s office. She called the
parent and tried to let him know what happened, but he did not understand English. She asked me if I could tell
him and I did.
My grandmother was trying to apply for a job, but the application was in English. I helped her fill it out. Because I
helped her, she got hired.
Being bilingual helps me and my future. There are many advantages with being able to speak more than one
language. You can communicate with more people, making it easier to help, tutor or translate for them. Being
bilingual makes me feel really cool because I love helping people and I learn more things myself. I hope, as I get
older, I can succeed in learning more languages and become better at the ones I already speak.
206
Student Writing
6th – 8th Contest Winner
Monica González, 8th grade
Valley Center Middle School, Valley Center-Pauma Unified School District
Voice for Change:
“How does being bilingual create a change in my community?”
I, Monica González, am using the power of bilingualism to make a difference in each and every single one of us.
I am a 13 year old in an 8th grade bilingual program who is studying at Valley Center Middle School. Therefore
I participate more in school to help teachers, students or parents in need to translate something for them. As
a result of being bilingual, I use my different abilities and development of bilingualism to help many people
translate and help them learn new ideas. Bilingualism changed me into a dedicated person and someone who
achieves her goals at any cost.
My family has encouraged me by telling me “Algún día todo tu esfuerzo que haces en la escuela te ayudara a tener
un futuro sobresaliente”. Challenges are part of life so are overcoming every single one of them.
Bilingualism makes a difference everywhere in the world. A bilingual student has a better opportunity of
succeeding than someone who only speaks one language because you have the ability of knowing two cultures.
Challenges, hard work and practice are part of being bilingual; but in the end it pays off. Sharing, learning and
experiencing new things are part of being bilingual. Being bilingual also helps make a difference not only in the
community but also the world.
207
Student Writing
9th – 12th Contest Winner
Hoang Vet Ho, 12th Grade
Sierra Vista High School, Baldwin Park Unified School District
“Why Don’t We Just Sit Closer and Listen?”
“I know it’s hard, but we can do it!” I truly believe in that power which would come from our mighty differences. I
came to the United States of America from Vietnam two years ago. I did not speak English when I arrived. I know
how hard it has been for me to experience a different language. I know I am not the only one. There are many of
us here who speak a language other than English, and there will continue to be more, who come here from all
over the world in search of that American Dream. Everything is new to us, and we have to accept this reality as a
positive challenge. But how? That was the biggest question I had to ask myself when I first came here. I was so
different from all the other people; we were all so different from each other, but from these differences I found out
that we have a lot in common and can become connected through our languages. We use language as a super
power to win any struggle and make changes in our lives.
Our differences are changing us and our community positively. The key is listening and learning. We try to learn
new things bravely. Thee challenges have made us proud of who we are and from where we come. We listen to
each other and we know how to make these voices become united. That is the beautiful song that flows with the
different beats from the different languages that surround us. “Come closer and listen! That is not just for us, sitting
inside our classrooms. That is for our community, for our country, and for our hopes. It does not matter where we
come from, who we are, and how smart we are. It’s just about your heart, about what we create by our differences.
Different voices or different languages do not mean we are different from each other.
We spend our time trying to communicate and listen to what the others are saying, and what we are doing. We
are proud to be language learners, and we are definitely proud of our mother language that has carried us along
our paths towards becoming bilingual people. We keep doing it with our hearts and bravery. We are not doing it
for ourselves. We are doing it for the other people, for our community, and for even more than that. I was not this
powerful before I came to this country. Being bilingual has showered me with a lot of challenges, but it has also
taught me so many important things that I could never have learned had I only spoken Vietnamese. It has taught
me things I could never learn from a book, either. It has shaped and created a new chapter in my life.
As more of us become bilingual, there will be no fear at all for us to present our unique songs in different
languages. This will produce less fear inside our communities. We will learn that we are all the same and are proud
to belong to each other. “Why don’t we just sit closer and listen?” We can create change inside our communities,
and build warm and safe communities, if we glorify our differences by accepting them as the tools to create
a super power that will bring about a new world that accepts differences as positive. With the power or our
differences, we can change our communities, and then reach out far beyond those borders, to change the world.
208
Student Writing
9th – 12th Contest Winner
Alina González – 9th -12th grade
Valley Center High School, Valley Center-Pauma Unified School District
Voices for Change:
One Small Phrase for the Common Man, One Giant Speech for the Latino
Tengo una voz, one fixated from the lives and cultures of my ancestors before me. Tengo una voz, one
sculpted from the past of my Abuelito working in the fields that Simon Silva could have painted. Tengo una voz, one loud and
assertive like my Abuelita fighting for the migrant worker’s rights. Tengo una voz, one so determined as my mother striving for
an education. Tengo una voz, that one day, will let my friends be considered free and accepted in this country. Tengo una voz
and I have learned to use it to prove that the Latino is more than the common man thinks, that the Latino can be under the
spotlight.
I grew up with my Abuelito telling me that “nada en la vida es gratis”. In order to be heard, a lot of hard work and sacrifice is
needed. Surely one person cannot do it all, but life as we live, shaped my voice. In middle school I started a column in the
town newspaper and in one of the columns I wrote something in Spanish. It was a surprise to see that my Spanish column
had not made the cut for that week’s paper. So I tested how far my Spanish could go in the small town I was growing up in. I
remember my best friend at the time telling me that I was such a better student than “them” as he looked my Hispanic friends
and I can recall my confusion and anger that I felt towards the students who didn’t associate me with the Hispanics because
my English wasn’t broken. At the end of middle school, I was given an awarded for being a standout English learner in the
bilingual program, which shocked many of my friends because they didn’t know that my first language was not English and I
was the first English learner to ever receive Student of the Year in that town. That’s when my voice grew.
In high school, I participate in the National Honors Society, the California Scholarship Federation, the International Thespian
Troupe, a leader in the afterschool ARC program, play the string bass in the San Diego Civic Youth Orchestra’s Symphony,
a lead anchor for our school news, and the high school columnist for the town newspaper. I am an active volunteer with
the Multiple Sclerosis Society, the FanFaire Foundation (which bridges music and science), and help with the Jonathan Tarr
foundation. I created an international bullying campaign called STOP and have written and produced an Anti-bullying film,
as well as founded a bullying awareness club at our school. I have high hopes for myself and big dreams. But working hard to
gain acceptance into Yale and striving to make a difference in the world would probably never have been my dream if I hadn’t
grown to be proud of my brown eyes, chocolate skin and dark brown hair or to love the roll of “rrr”’s on my tongue and show
that as an English learner, and as a bilingual student I am proud of my cultura.
This summer I was given the chance to be a voice for all. I had an internship with the San Diego Union Tribune and my voice
– through the way of videos and articles – was handed out to a whole population that saw what success a Latina could do. I
stared writing a film based on the Dream Act following the story of a girl named Esperanza, who wants it to be able to fulfill
her dreams but she cannot because she is not in the country legally.
And there are days when I wonder what my life would be like if I was Esperanza, days when I think how different everything
would be if I didn’t have a voice and because of Esperanza, because of my amigos trapped behind the fence, I project my
voice.
Life as we live it shapes a lot of our character and I’ve come a long way from being that little girl who would plead to Abuelita
“no mas ingles, hablame en español, por favor.” I made that decision to speak up and make sure my culture is represented.
Tengo una voz, and I’m already starting to make a difference. Surely one person cannot do it all, and I know change starts with
one but involves many. So through my voice in academics, music, through art and drama, through rallying and filmmaking I
am taking a stand. I am being the light in the lives of others and living up to my name. I am being a Latina role model because
a fellow Latina inspired me at such a young age. Tengo una voz, y estoy lista para usarla hoy.
209
Student Art Contest
Student Artwork Winners
Alejandra González, 12th grade
Long Beach USD – 1st Place
Alejandra Chávez, 12th grade
Compton USD – 2nd Place
Art Speaks It’s Own Language
My main focus is painting with traditional oils. I’ve developed
a collection of work that represents on what I wish to focus
on—that is shadow, depth and value. This process is time
consuming, however my patience has allowed me to perceive
and manifest. The effort to remain motivated throughout
the years at Compton High School, has demonstrated my
commitment to pursue an art career. I vision myself in five
years completing my Masters of Fine Art, pursuing a career as
an art professor and contributing in art galleries. As a young
artist, I wish to obtain a sensible interest and a respectable
reputation as a determined yet inquisitive—artist.
My name is Alejandra Gonzalez and I am currently seventeen
years old. I come from a hispanic family and I only have one
sibling. I love drawing and painting because I find it to be a
way to express myself and it offers an escape from reality. I
plan to go to college and major in Art. The reason why I chose
to draw this venitian mask was because to me she represents
nature. I find nature to be beautiful and depending on your
location in the world art is truly the language that speaks to
everyone.
210
Student Art Contest
Student Artwork Winners
Alexis Hernández, 11th grade
Los Angeles USD – 3rd Place
Citlali Rodríguez, 12th grade
Escondido Union HSD, 3rd Place
Alexis Hernández was born in Los Angeles, California and was
raised with her three brothers who all enjoyed art. Watching
her brothers’ talent with art influenced her to start learning
how to draw. Eventually, she would surprise her brothers
with creativity and artistic intelligence as she drew daily in
sketchbook. Ever since, she was fond of art. She has been
taking art classes since middle school as she enhances in her
work of art. She always said art was a way to express herself.
In the future, Alexis wants to become an art teacher. For
her, art plays a large part in making people’s lives infinitely
richer. She wants to pass on her passion through to the next
generation.
My name is Citlali Rodriguez, I was born in Tijuana BC,
Mexico. I began to be interested art when I was 6 years old,
but I began to draw when I was 12 years old. I never took an
art classes during my life, but I think that the motivation or
the thing that made me draw was an old TV show about how
to draw landscapes; I loved this TV show. With the support
of my friends, parents, and teachers I decided to enter to this
contest to see what I can do or what I need to do improve.
Finally, I realize I can be like that artist on the TV show.
Following goals like this contest motivates me to continue in
the art way.
211
Booth
# 128
Booth
# 309, 311,
313, 408,
410, 412
Booth
# 307